


falling (will you catch me?)

by gail2888 (summers_end), summers_end



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Cutting, Eddie Kaspbrak Loves Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak is a Mess, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gay Eddie Kaspbrak, Gay Richie Tozier, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Internalized Homophobia, Kid Eddie Kaspbrak, Kid Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Kid Richie Tozier, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Richie Tozier Loves Eddie Kaspbrak, Richie Tozier is a Mess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:34:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23364034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/summers_end/pseuds/gail2888, https://archiveofourown.org/users/summers_end/pseuds/summers_end
Summary: Richie sighed as they sat by the lake. They were all in their tighty-whiteys, and were laying in the warm sun, drying off. Bev was wearing sunglasses, basking in the light. All the guys were looking at her, but Richie was eyeing someone else. He couldn’t figure out why, but he kept eyeing Eddie. He closed his eyes, but even then, Eddie’s image was behind them.Eddie basked upon the rocks, letting out a soft sigh as he and the others stared at Beverly. He turned his head, glancing over at Richie with a look of concern. “Hey Trashmouth, beep beep, wake up!” The brunette said quickly, playfully punching the other boy.  His hand grazed the zipper of his fanny pack, ready to grab his inhaler at a moments notice.//shame, love, and discovery bring two boys together in a fateful Maine summer
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak & Richie Tozier, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Comments: 3
Kudos: 48





	1. Chapter 1

Richie sighed as they sat by the lake. They were all in their tighty-whiteys, and were laying in the warm sun, drying off. Bev was wearing sunglasses, basking in the light. All the guys were looking at her, but Richie was eyeing someone else. He couldn’t figure out why, but he kept eyeing Eddie. He closed his eyes, but even then, Eddie’s image was behind them.

Eddie basked upon the rocks, letting out a soft sigh as he and the others stared at Beverly. He turned his head, glancing over at Richie with a look of concern. “Hey Trashmouth, beep beep, wake up!” The brunette said quickly, playfully punching the other boy. His hand grazed the zipper of his fanny pack, ready to grab his inhaler at a moments notice.

Richie’s eyes snapped open, as Eddie’s first made contact with his shoulder. “I’m awake, I’m awake!” Richie snapped his head up, knocking his forehead against Eddie’s nose. He looked up, and saw Eddie looking at a drop of blood on his hands. “Oh shit,” Richie exclaimed, kneeling next to Eddie. “Does anyone have any tissues?” Richie hated how concerned he was. He tried to maintain a funny demeanor, but now his true feelings about Eddie were surfacing.

Eddie let out a small shriek, his hand quickly flying up to his nose. “Watch it asshole!” He yelled, quickly grabbing his fanny pack. He dug through it, quickly finding what he was searching for. The brunette pulled a small cotton ball from his bag, quickly pushing it to his nose. Eddie tilted his head forwards, whispering obscenities under his breath as he glared at Richie. The other Losers paid no mind to them, the pair’s constant bickering had become the norm in their tiny group.

Richie shrunk back a bit at Eddie’s outburst. “Let me help!” Richie grabbed his shirt from the ground, as blood soaked through the cotton ball. Eddie was paling at all of the blood, and Richie knew what might happen next. “Hold this to your nose,” he told Eddie as he turned to look through the fanny pack again. “Oh, god, where’s the inhaler?” He murmured, as Eddie’s breathing became more shallow and faster. “Found it!” he yelled, and handed to Eddie. By now, the other kids were noticing the commotion and turned over to look and help. When Eddie lowered the shirt to take the inhaler, the other losers could see the blood and panic on his face.

Eddie snatched the inhaler from Richie, hastily inhaling. He glanced over at the other boy, a look of fear crossing his eyes. “Don’t fucking touch me!” He yelled, his eyes widening as he backed away. Eddie took a second to let his breathing adjust, blood still dripping from his nose. The brunette bent down, snatching his stuff from the ground and rushing off. He pulled his clothes on as he walked, tears brimming in his eyes.

After Eddie stormed off, Richie looked back at the group. “Going home to mommy?” he whined in a baby voice. Richie knew that no one could ever know how he felt about Eddie. If anyone found out, they would never let him live it down. He would be that ‘fag’ forever. The guys just gave Richie a weird look and went back to talking. “I’m going to take a shit now,” he announced, and walked into the woods. When he was deep enough into the forest, he broke down. Tears streamed down his face as the emotions flowed freely. Eddie would never hold him the way he wanted him to.

  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

Eddie walked down along the path, wiping at his eyes. The blood had long stopped flowing by now, though this did not deter him from keeping the cotton ball up his nose. A piercing sob had suddenly filled the air, causing the small boy to look up. He blinked, trying to find the source of the noise. Against his better judgment, Eddie wandered into the woods, looking for the source of the noise. He pulled his arms to his chest, trying his best not touch anything. Then he saw it, Richie, sitting upon a log, bawling his eyes out. Was this his Richie? The always laughing and joking, obscene boy that he knew? Eddie walked up to him cautiously, holding his cast with his free arm. “Um, hey..” He murmured.

Richie quickly wiped his eyes and nose at the sound of Eddie’s voice. “Um, hey, uh, what are you doing here?” Richie leaned his head back, trying to stop the tears before they arrived. “I was, um, just, I got something in my eye.” By now Eddie had sat down next to him, and Richie was starting to blush. “I think it’s out now, so, you know, you can go.” Richie looked away from Eddie, and started to pull his shirt on. When Eddie didn’t move from the log, Richie stopped. “Are you ok?”

Eddie looked downwards, letting out a huff. “Uh, I’m sorry for yelling at you..” He looked over at Richie, enveloping him in a quick hug. Eddie pressed his head into the other boy’s neck, letting out a small sigh. “You know I’m a bit of a spitfire sometimes, I get it from my mom. But of course you should already know that.” He giggled, basking in the pride of his joke. Eddie pulled away, tugging at his socks slightly.

Richie leaned into the hug. This brought up more of the emotions he had just tried to suppress. Richie couldn’t hold back his tears, and when Eddie pulled away, Richie immediately tried to cover his face. Eddie didn’t need to see him like this. Like a mess. “Yeah, I, I’m sorry for, um, hitting you. I should’ve seen you,” Richie looked at the ground. He knew that if he looked at Eddie, it would trigger another ridiculous outburst. He needed to get over his feelings. “This wasn’t your fault. It’s, it was all mine.” Richie murmured.

Eddie cocked his head, staring at the other with a confused face. “Richie, I’ve never seen you like this..” He bit his lip, looking down at his feet. “You know you can always tell me anything, I promise I won’t judge you too much.” He gave a small smile. Eddie grabbed the other boys hand, holding it tightly. “C’mon Trashmouth, chin up.” He giggled, throwing his head to the side in a laugh.

Richie looked up off the ground, looking forward. “Ok…” Richie pulled a deep breath in, and exhaled slowly. “I, I have been thinking about you a lot, and it’s in a way that, well, I don’t really think about them,” Richie started, nodding to the direction of where the rest of the losers were, “and I wouldn’t do anything, but it’s just, it a lot, and I… I care about our friendship and I would never want to ruin what we have.” Richie sighed and looked at Eddie. “So I hope this doesn’t end what we have.”

Eddie looked up at the other with a confused glance, his cheeks glowing at the mention of Righie thinking about him. He clutched his inhaler tightly, feeling his breathing grow more and more shallow with each word out of Richie’s mouth. “Um, I’m sorry Rich..I just remembered my mother’s expecting me home around now..” The smaller boy said quickly, standing and pulling at his socks. “We can talk tomorrow, okay?” He murmured, rushing off before the other boy could even answer.

As Eddie ran off, Richie was left alone. He felt the weight of the world crumbling down upon him. The sensation of everything falling apart was overpowering. His sobs weren't enough to express how he felt. Richie couldn't feel anything. He needed control.


	3. Chapter 3

The Losers sat quietly in their hideout, reading comics and speaking softly. It was one of those more faint summer days, the light shining in through the trapdoor in a haze. Eddie sat vacant in the small hammock, his eyelashes fluttering as he read through a Spiderman comic. He wore his usual outfit, clad in short shorts and knee high socks. The small boy let out a yawn, looking around at the other Losers. Where was Richie?

Richie sat in a corner across the underground room, as far from Eddie as possible. Ever since that day at the quarry, Richie had avoided Eddie as much as possible. He still looked at Eddie from afar, though. Today, his focus was wavering on a Spider-Man comic. Then, he was looking around. After about 5 seconds, they made eye contact, Richie quickly looking away. He was flushed and distracted and thoughts racing through his mind. He needed a distraction. “Hey guys! You wanna go out and ride bikes or something? The air in here smells worse than Eddie’s moms breath.”

Eddie rolled his eyes at Richie’s remark, rolling over onto his side to face the other Losers. Bill looked up from his comic, glancing around at the other Losers. “Um I think we’re good, maybe later though.” He shrugged, turning back to his comic. Eddie’s voice suddenly filled the air, his big doe eyes landing on Richie. “Hey fuckface, I’ll go on a bike ride with you.” He stood from the hammock, stretching his arms up as he touched the ground. Eddie walked over to Richie pulling his shorts down slightly as he stopped at the other boy’s feet. 

“Anyone else,” Richie sighed in exasperation, but began the climb up to the surface. “C’mon, what are you waiting for, asshole?” He waved at Eddie to follow him. Once he was above, Richie pushed his glasses up in his face and looked down to see Eddie following him, having difficulty climbing up with his bulky arm cast. “Here,” Richie offered out his hand to pull the other boy up. 

Eddie took the other boy’s hand, a bit taken aback by the sudden momentum upwards. He fell forwards, landing on top of Richie. Eddie stared down at him with wide eyes, their noses inches apart. His skin brushed up against Richie’s, his face glowing a deep cherry red. “Sorry Trashmouth.” He murmured quickly, scrambling upwards. Eddie walked over to his bike, giving the kickstand a frail kick upwards. “C’mon idiot, let’s ride.” He said with a giggle, giving the other a goofy smile.

Richie laid on the ground a few seconds. How could Eddie just blow that off like that? It seemed like a full minute that Eddie was on top of him, that they were sharing the same air. Richie straightened up, and smiled tentatively back at Eddie. “I’m not the idiot here,” Richie replied, “who was it with the gazebos?” Richie grabbed his handlebars and began pedaling, following wherever Eddie was taking him.

Eddie scoffed, “Yeah, yeah, I get that you’re milking that joke fuckface, but you can let it go now.” He snorted, pedaling a bit slower so that he was across from the other boy. Eddie pedaled a bit father, finally stopping in front of a small bench. He let his bike fall to the ground, the metal crashing against the cement. The small boy seated himself on the bench, his feet dangling over the edge. He smiled, looking up at the sky. “C’mere Trashmouth, what’d you wanna tell me?” He smirked, looking over at the other.

“Nothing,” Richie kicked Eddie’s bike aside, and rested his bike down on the curb. “Why? You got something to tell me, Eddie-Bear?” He sat down next to Eddie with his feet up on the bench. Acting cool on the outside was hard. He always felt like such an outsider, even in a group full of them. By playing it off as comedy, he could sort of fit in. But the fights and disagreements made it feel like everyone was against him. But Eddie was always there as a friend to him. At least, before that day at the quarry.

Eddie sneered at the nickname, giving the other a playful punch. “I’m not sure.” He said after a while, looking up at the taller boy. Eddie leaned in slightly, his face a few inches away from Richie’s. He got closer, so close that Richie could smell his cherry chapstick. Eddie just smiled playfully, quickly pulling back as he snatched the glasses from Richie’s face. He let out a small laugh, putting them on with a smile. Eddie turned to look at the other boy. “How do I look?” He made a goofy face, mocking the other boy. “I fucked your mother!” He shouted, proud of his Richie impression.

Richie smiled at the impression, grabbing at the air for his glasses, “Hey, give those back!” As he leaned forward to find his glasses, he slipped off of the bench. He quickly got back up, and Eddie handed him back his glasses with a smirk. “Fuck, Eds, you do a good impression,” Richie said with a smile. Maybe it was going to be ok. Maybe Eddie would tell him that he wanted to stay friends. That he wanted to put the quarry behind them, move forward. Then Richie realized that when he slipped off the bench, his shorts had caught on the wood, making them ride up. He quickly pulled them down and looked to see if Eddie had noticed.

  
  



	4. Chapter 4

Eddie stared down at Richie, his eyes widened slightly. He looked away quickly, taking a quick puff from his inhaler before crossing his arms. “Yea I know I do Fuckface.” The smaller boy said with a smirk, shoving the inhaler back into his fanny pack. He pulled his knees up to his chest, dusting the dirt from his Ked quickly. “Hey Rich..?” Eddie looked over at the other boy. “Do you ever feel...different from the others?” He let out a small huff. “Like I know we’re all losers but, sometimes I feel like the biggest loser in a group of losers.”

“Yes, absolutely ,” Richie sighed in relief at Eddie’s confession, “Sometimes, no, all the time. I just, I keep thinking that I’m not one of us. Like, like I’m always the one who doesn’t want to do whatever the group does.” Richie looked at Eddie, “like when Bill punched me. That, yeah, it hurt a lot.” Richie’s eyes drifted down to Eddie’s fanny pack. “There’s other things too. But you sort of know already. I thought that it might have ended what we had.” Richie looked up at Eddie again. “But I know that my Eddie Spaghetti could never live without me.”

Eddie listened to the other boy’s musings, his eyes glinting with sadness. His hands clutched the edge of the wooden bench tightly, his dirt coated nails practically digging into the wood. Eddie turned to face him after he had finished, his eyes narrowing slightly. He raised a hand to Richie’s cheek, his thumb brushing over the other’s freckles. The smaller boy leaned forwards, pressing a kiss to the other’s lips. Richie tasted like cigarettes and skittles, not a bad flavor, just Richie. Eddie pulled his head back quickly, his eyes filling with fear after he realized what he had done. He stood quickly, mouthing _ I’m sorry  _ to the other boy before running over to his bike. He tripped halfway, his knee skimming against the cement road, blood beginning to drip down. He bit back a yelp as he mounted his bike, pedaling as fast as he could.

Richie was pretty sure that Eddie was just as scared as he was, maybe more. But he had kissed him. It was warm and soft and tasted like what could only be inhaler. Richie had leaned in, closed his eyes. When he finally looked up as Eddie pulled away, he could see so much in Eddie’s expressive brown eyes. There was fear, but something else. Maybe he wanted it? But Eddie’s kiss fleeting, passing too quickly. And then he was gone too. Richie sighed, and looked around. Good. No one had seen a thing. As he got up to grab his bike, he touched his cheek, just where Eddie had. His fingers lingered over where Eddie had been. Where he might be again. If Richie played his cards right.

Eddie had pedaled a few meters down the street before falling from his bike. He clutched his knee tightly, which was currently seething in pain. A million thoughts ran through his mind, like  _ why did I kiss my best friend  _ or  _ how much bacteria from the street had already gotten into my bloodstream?  _ He bit his lip, reaching into his fanny pack and quickly pulling out a small bottle of disinfectant. Eddie dabbed the contents of the bottle onto his knee, biting back a yell from the sting. He sat there, his chest rising and falling quickly. A part of him wanted to get as far away from Richie as possible yet another part of him longed to be coddled by the other boy. Eddie raised his head, tears stinging the corner of his eyes as he looked around. “R-Richie…?” He let out a mangled sob, looking around for the other boy.

Riding down the street felt serene. Richie felt the sun on his skin, the wind through his hair. Then, about a mile from the bench, he saw a small frame of a boy about 10 meters in the distance. He stood on his bike to get the pedals to move faster, rushing towards Eddie. “Eddie! Are you ok?” He looked over him, his eyes stopping at his bloody knee. It had a pretty deep cut with some red swelling on the sides and tiny pieces of the road caught in the skin around.“Whoa.” Richie remarked. “How did… never mind,” he looked at Eddie, whose eyes were closed in pain. “Hey, you’re fine,” Richie soothed, “I’m here to take care of you, Eddie-Bear.”

  
  



	5. Chapter 5

Ed die put his head in his hands, sobbing outwardly now. “Richie I’m so sorry, what’s wrong with me?” He cried, looking up at the other boy with puffy eyes. “I don’t know why I did that, I understand if you never want to speak with me again.” He quickly jumped to conclusions, taking a few deep breaths as he attempted to calm himself down. The smaller boy brushed off the cut, wincing slightly. He fell forward onto Richie, leaning his face into the other’s chest. Eddie grabbed at the back of his shirt, clutching it tightly in his hands as he sobbed. “Please don’t hate me Richie..” He wailed. 

Richie held Eddie sobbing in his arms, “I could never hate you, Eddie.” He felt Eddie relax slightly, so he kept talking, “you’re perfect, you know that? Everything about you I hate, I love.” Eddie’s sobbing was now reduced to sniffles with the occasional whimper. Richie pulled Eddie away from his chest so they could look eye to eye, “I want to help you right now. Even though you keep fucking hurting yourself,” Richie smiled at Eddie. Richie pulled Eddie into another hug. “I’m never going to hate you. And you are not a bad kisser at all.” Richie rubbed Eddie’s back, drawing small circles with his fingers until Eddie’s breathing was even and without hitching.

Eddie’s breathing was soft, his chest rising and falling slowly as he lay in the other’s embrace. He was quiet for a minute before suddenly pulling away. The smaller boy looked up at Richie with narrowed eyes, “Your glasses make you looking fucking fish eyed.” He murmured, resting his hands on the other’s shoulders. “And your jokes suck.” Eddie continued, leaning back into the Richie’s side. He traced a finger up Richie’s chest, feeling the other’s heartbeat quicken. “So why am I feeling this way about you?” He looked up at Richie with a confused glance, staring at his lips.

Richie didn’t know how to reply. He had been feeling this same way since long before Pennywise, the loser’s club, all of it. Like Eddie was who he was here for. “I don’t know. I mean, I think I feel the same way you do.” Richie stared into Eddie hands on his chest. “Like my life is pointless without you in it. After the quarry I felt empty, like without you and everything.” Richie combed his hand through Eddie’s soft hair, gently pulling through small tangles.

Eddie smiled softly, relaxing at the feeling of Richie’s hand in his hair. He looked upwards, arching his back as he stared into Richie’s eyes. Eddie pressed a finger to his lips, hushing him. “Mm..you talk too much.” He murmured, reaching upwards till he was face to face with Richie. His lips brushed against the taller boy’s, Eddie’s own lips chapped yet smooth from the various coats of chapstick. He leaned forward, his lips colliding with Richie’s. Eddie reached his arms around the other’s head, digging his hands into his hair.

Richie felt himself relax at the feel of Eddie’s skin against his. He closed his eyes and sunk into the kiss. Time passed slowly. Eddie’s hands were in Richie’s curls and the setting sun was casting a golden glow in Eddie’s hair. Their noses brushed and their lips released and locked again. Richie moved his right hand from Eddie’s hair to the back of his neck, causing Eddie to shudder. Richie felt an eternity pass as they felt each other in a different way for the first time. As Richie moved his left hand to Eddie’s waist, he began to explore with his tongue.

Eddie pulled back, looking up at the other with widened eyes. “God Richie, you know how many fucking germs are on that tongue of yours?” He crossed his arms, giving the other a pouty look. Eddie stood up, dusting the dirt from his scarred and bruised legs, results of their very eventful summer. He raised an eyebrow, giving Richie a goofy smile. “So, you like me I assume?”

“I mean, just a little more than I liked your mom,” Richie smirked, “not like I’ve got any more germs than she does.” Richie wiped his sweaty hands on his shorts. Mocking Eddie’s crossed arms and pout, Richie asked, “why, Eds? You like me now?” The sky was getting darker, and Richie knew it was time to get home. Before Eddie had a chance to reply, Richie held out his arm for Eddie to pull him up. “Meet me sometime tomorrow?”

Eddie’s smile flickered slightly at Richie’s words, his gaze turning downwards. “Um sure, tomorrow at the hangout alright?” He hummed, tapping his fingers along the zipper of his fanny pack. Eddie walked up to Richie, standing up on his tiptoes and planting a kiss on his cheek. “I’ll see you later Trashmouth.” He walked back over to his bike, an embarrassing hue of red stretching across his cheeks. Then he rode away.

“See you, Eddie Spaghetti!” Richie called out after him. As Eddie rode away, Richie grabbed his bike to ride to his home. But when Eddie was out of sight, he smiled and touched the freckles that Eddie lips had grazed. What had started as another awful day had ended as a day Richie could never forget. And maybe tomorrow would be even better. As Richie pedaled away, his face flushed from the recent activities, he felt the breeze and enjoyed the last rays of light from the sun as it set over the trees. He wanted to remember this day forever.

  
  



	6. Chapter 6

Needless to say, Eddie avoided Richie like the plague. He sat huddled in the corner of the hangout, running his fingers over a new, large bruise that had formed on his upper arm. The other Losers has gone off on their own, most likely biking down to the Quarry, leaving Eddie alone. He let out a sigh, praying to whatever god was in the sky that Richie went with them. He was the last person Eddie had wanted to see. 

“Hey we’re going to the quarry. You want to come?” Stan had asked Richie a few minutes earlier. Richie shook his head and said, “No, thanks. I’m going to try to finish this,” he shook the comic he was holding, and Stan shrugged and left. A few moments later, after he was sure everyone had left, he got up from the hammock and walked around the hideout to the shelf with the rest of the comics. From the corner of his eye, he saw Eddie sitting in a corner, his knees up to his chest. “Oh, hey, Eds, I didn’t know you were still here.” Richie had been upset that Eddie had avoided him lately, but didn’t want to push him. Eddie meant too much to him.

Eddie winced as he heard Richie’s voice, glancing downwards as to not meet his gaze. “Stop calling me Eds, that’s not my fucking name.” He growled, pulling his knees in close to his chest. Eddie shut his eyes closed, praying that Richie would just go away. He tugged on his sleeve trying to mask the various bruises that lined it. He shuddered slightly, his right hand’s clutch around his inhaler tightening.

“You know what, Eddie? Fuck you. I tried to be nice to you,” Richie was finally letting his feelings free, and was not holding back, “and all you do is fucking take advantage of me and then avoid me like none of it matters!” Richie was getting closer to Eddie, and wasn’t getting any calmer, “you use me like a fucking tool whenever you want and then think you can pretend nothing happened! Well, you know what? I’m done with that!” Richie’s face was as red as ever, and his eyes slightly wet. He kicked Eddie in the arm and turned around, hoping tears wouldn’t come rushing.

  
  



	7. Chapter 7

Eddie let out a yelp, clutching his arms tightly. He spoke before he could think, his eyes widening as he watched Richie walk away. “Bowers he saw us-“ He said quickly, feeling his breath become shallower and shallower. “He followed me, beat me up before I got home.” Eddie could feel tears begin to sting the corner of his eyes. “He called me a fag Richie.” He looked down, not letting himself cry. “I’m sorry I just couldn’t take it.” Eddie shook his head, “I’m horrible to you.” He took a long puff of his inhaler, looking back up at Richie.

Richie turned around, looking with concern at Eddie’s brimming eyes. “Fuck, why didn’t you tell me?” Richie rushed over to Eddie’s side. When Richie got to him, he began to wrap his arms around Eddie, but stopped when Eddie whimpered. He backed up to look at Eddie in the eyes. “Eddie, did Bowers hurt you?” The look that Richie saw in Eddie’s eyes was all the confirmation he needed.

Eddie lowered his head, falling forwards and collapsing into Richie’s embrace. “Richie I’m so sorry.” He held on tightly to the other boy, resting his head in the crook of Richie’s neck. “I was so scared, I was so weak.” He leaned in closer, feeling comforted by the other’s touch. Richie smelled like dirt, and cigarettes of course. Yet a Eddie was comforted by the smell. It was just Richie. Richie would protect him.

“No, Eddie. You’re not weak,” Richie pressed his cheek and jaw into Eddie’s shoulder. He wrapped his right arm over Eddie’s left shoulder, and his left around Eddie’s waist. As he felt Eddie begin to sob in his arms, Richie felt anger at bowers build up. “If this ever happens again, you tell me.” Richie moved his right hand to lay on the back of Eddie’s head. He knew that Eddie liked it when Richie ran his fingers through the soft locks around the nape of his neck.

Eddie whimpered, shaking slightly before pulling back from Richie’s touch. He looked up at Richie, giving him a sad smile. “I promise I will Rich, I can’t lie to my boyfriend after all.” He sank back into the other’s lap, resting his head on Richie’s thigh as he stared up at him. Eddie reached a hand up, running his thumb along the other boy’s cheek. “Your freckles look like the stars.” He murmured. 

Richie felt his heart flutter. Boyfriend? Did this mean he was obligated to tell Eddie about his struggles? About how he felt? He always was the strong one on the outside. Never shared his feelings. Never vented what was going on inside. As he traced his fingers over Eddie’s cheek lips he asked, “Eddie? I need to tell you something.” As Richie explained what had happened that day at the quarry after Eddie had left, he felt more and more ashamed. When he was done, he his his face in his hands. Eddie wouldn’t want 

someone who wasn’t strong enough to protect himself, from himself, let alone another person.

Eddie looked up at Richie with a look of pain, his eyes brimming with tears. “Oh Richie..” He said quietly, cupping the other boy’s cheek with the palm of his hand. “I’m so, so sorry you had to go through that alone.” Eddie shook his head, feeling himself begin to hurt inside and out. He embraced the other quickly, pushing Richie’s head to his shoulder. Eddie began to run his finger in circles around Richie’s back. “I’m here now, you won’t be alone anymore.” Eddie choked back tears, letting himself stay strong for Richie.

Richie wanted to stay in Eddie’s arms forever. It felt like the only safe place in this scary world. He always had to remain guarded. Whenever someone would approach him, he would assume the worst. Attacking with words, fighting, anger, were what he did to stay safe. Because only he could protect himself. But With Eddie there to comfort him, he felt like he could finally let his guard down. 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> so this is actually the first fanfiction my friend and I ever wrote together. spoilers, it’s not very good but we figured sharing it would be funny so.


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